Classifying and sorting device



'c. c; cAsEY CLASSIFYING AND SORTING DEVICE Feb. 25, 1941.`

Filed Feb. 20, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. ESI-1gb as' C- G'Hsey: BY

ATTORNEY.

FebQzs, 194.1.

` c. c.`cAs|-:Y

CLASSIFYING AND SORTING DEVICE Filed Feb. 20, 1939 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 ATTRNEY.

`Patented Feb. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES y cLAssImNGAND son'rlNG DEVICE charles o. casey, netroiaMich. AAlmlication February zo, 1939, serial No. 257,481

6 Claims.

My invention relates to sorting devices, and has a special reference to that kind in which supermposed swinging, separating tabs, attached to a base member, are employed, and its object is to improve the operation and increase the convenience of the apparatus as a whole and as contributory to this end to automatically hold the tabs, either as single, or collective units, firmly in position while permitting their quick free 10 insertion, removal, or adjustment with reference to the supporting portion, and to provide for altering the capacity of the tray, or container of the tabs.

I secure this object in the apparatus shown in 15 the accompanying drawings in which: y

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a single unit tray partly broken away to show the interior construction and to economize room, and to show the interior construction. A few tabs are indicated at each end of the tab-containing space;

Fig. 2 is an elevation looking from the position indicated by the arrow A Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken at the left hand end of Fig. land in the plane indicated by the line 3 3, Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4, Fig.l 3; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of the presser-slide;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of one of the ller blocks; I

Fig. 7 shows the lower end of one of the tabs and illustrates the method of removing and replacing the same in the tray;

Fig. 8 is a detail section on the line 8 8, Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a plan view partly broken away of a modied construction;

Fig. 10 is a section in the plane indicated by the line |0 I0 Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a plan viewrof a multiple unit tray 40 form, in which two trays are shown mounted upon a carrier shiftable longitudinally ofthe trays;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the same, the supporting apparatus being partly broken away to the center line toward the observer and the trays being broken away to a center line toward the observer for short distances upon both sides of the center;

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the inverted trays of Fig..12;

Fig. 14 is a section in the plane indicated by the line I4 I4, Figs. 11 and 12;

Fig. 15 is a detail section to an enlarged scale of the inner end of the right hand tray in the plane indicated by the line' I5-I5, Fig. 11; and

65 Fig. 16 is a section on the line I G IG, Fig. 15.

(Cl. 12B-15) Where only a moderate amount of material is to be sorted, a single unit tray I having parts as shown in Figs. 1 to 8, may be used, preferably in a carrier or slide, such as the carrier and track l shown in Figs. 12, 13, 14 and 16, although it also `5 may be placed by itself directly upon the table or desk of the operator. In this preferred form there is a trough with an integral bottom and open top and having the( upper edges of its vertical sides turned inwardlO at right angles to form opposite parallel tracks 2 2. 3 3, are rests for the tabs adapted to slide upon the tracks 2 2 and having their upper edges inclined inward. A rest 3 is located at each end of the tray I.

4 are flexible tabs secured at their lower edges to cross blocks 5 notched at their outer ends to engage the tracks 2 2. The space between said rests is understood to be lled with said tabsw and blocks though only a few are indicated at each end in Fig. 1. v

The blocks 5 are divided at their centers and the lower ends of the tabs are bifurcated by a central slot 4a, one branch being secured to each portion of` the block as shown in Fig. '7. Whenf' itis desired to remove or insert a tab the two branches are forced together by the operators hand until a` flange 2 clears the notch in the block 5 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7. I,

There is a sheet metal ridge 6, inverted U- shape in cross section, extending longitudinally and centrally along the inner surface of the bottom of the tray I.

There is a presser slide, shown most distinctly in the perspectiveof Fig. 5, which ts into one"" `endoi the tray I and acts to yieldingly clamp the rests 3 and tabs 4, with their blocks 5, together. Said slide consists of a body 1, U -shaped in crossssection with the upper edges of its verti-lw cal sides turned inward at right angles to formA `two opposite horizontal flanges 'id la. The inner end of the body l is open and the outer end is closed by a plate 1b that rises above the flanges la and then turns outward and down-" Vward to form a grip for the hand. 8 is a sheet'45 metal ridge, U-shaped in cross-section, which is inverted and extends longitudinally and centrally along the inner surface of the body 'l and protrudes from the inner end thereof. The ridge '8 is adapted to iit and slide in the ridge B of the 50 tray I and the side walls of the ridge 6 are under-cut to permit the passage of the bottom of the presser slide 1. 9 is a tongue extending horizontally inward from the center of the plate 1b. This tongue 9, as will hereafter be shown,l 55

is not essential and is generally omitted in actual practice. This is broken away in Fig. 5 to show other parts more clearly but its relative size and location is shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The presser slide I is inserted into the open end of the tray I, its body tting into said tray and the ridge 8 tting within the ridge 6 to be guided thereby as shown in Fig. 3.

I0 is a tension spring secured to a lug IIla on the slide 'l and a lug IIlb on the tray and acting to draw said slide inward. II, Figs. 1 and 4, is a metal strip secured at its inner end to the bottom of the tray 'I, rising up and extending outwardly parallel to said bottom. IIa, is a lug on the inner surface but at the unsecured end of the strip II. I2 is a lug on the inner surface of the bottom of the body of the slide 1 adapted to engage the' lug I Ia to limit the outward movement of said slide.

5a, are filler blocks, notched at their ends to engage the vtracks 2 2.

The operation of the above described apparatus is as follows:v

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, the spaced rests 3 3, being adjusted to position at the ends of the tray I, engage and are adapted to slide along the tracks f2- 2 and the single presser-slide 'I being adjusted to position as above described, the spring Iii holds .the plate 'Ib yieldingly against .the end of the tray I. The space between the rests 3 3 is filled with the separating talos 4 and their vblocks 5 engaging the tracks 2 2. Filler blocks 5d are'now placed above the tongue 9 between a rest 3 and the end plate Ib, engaging the tracks 2 2, until said end plate is forced out of contact with `the end of the tray I. When the presserslide l is drawn away from the tray I, the filler blocks 5u may either rest upon the tongue 9 or upon the iianges la. The force of the spring l t is now exerted through the presser-slide l, blocks 5a and rest 3 to hold the tab blocks 5 firmly but yieldingly in position.

Should it be desired to insert tabs, the tension .may be removed by drawing out the presser-slide l by the grip at the top of the plate lh and parting-the tabs where it is desired to insert additional tabs by pressing the forked lower end thereof together as illustrated in Fig. 7. A considerable number of vadditional tabs may be inserted by drawing -out the slide 'I and the filling blocksva will be supported by the tongue 9 which will engage under the rest 3. A compensating number of blocks 5a is then removed for the number of additional tab blocks 5 inserted, `and vice versa. l

Figs. 1l to 16 illustrate a construction including two trays and I have shown the carrier apparatus for such trays in my Patent No. 2,201,227 datedlVIay 21, 1940, which was originally application Serial Number 256,126, filed February 13, `1939, and this apparatus is shown in cross-section in Fig. 14, in which I3 is a stationary base and I4 is a carrier. These parts are formed at their edges to constitute a track within which interposed balls I5 run and support said carrier. The trays, which I have designated as IA and IB for convenience of description, are placed on the carrier I4, and are of the same construction as Adescribed above with reference to the single unit of Figs. 1-5, and with the additional features described as follows:

At the inner end of the tray IB there is placed a werk-supporting plate I 5 (Fig. 15) yextending across the end of the tray and having a tubular stem I'I inverted-U in cross-sectional shape fitting and adapted to slide in the ridge 6 of the tray. I8 is a tension spring attached to the bottom of the tray at I8a and to the stem I'I at Ib and acting to yieldingly hold the plate I6 out from the inner end of the tray as shown in Fig. 15.

Iii-I9 (Figs. l1 and 12) are pins or lugs, xed centrally on the carrier I4 and extending upward therefrom at points intermediate the ends of said carrier. 2li indicates a series of holes through the bottoms of the trays extending longitudinally thereof and adapted to t and pass over the pins I 9. Similar holes 20 are also provided in the bottom of the tray shown in Pigs. 1 4.

The functioning of the features just described is as follows:

The tray IA is rst placed upon the carrier I4, a pin I9 passing through a hole 2li to x the tray in position, the tray IB is then placed with the plate I6 engaging the inner end of the tray IA and pressed forward pressing said plate toward the end of the tray IB and tensioning the spring I8. The tray iB is then laid down upon the carrier Iii, a pin I9 engaging through a hole 2). The two trays are now held firmly in place by the tension of the spring I8 and their engagement with the pins I9. There being a considerable number of holes in each series 2li, the lposition of the first tray placed in position may be selected and the position of the other tray may be adjusted to that of the first tray. When a single tray is used, two rests 3 3 are utilized in the tray. When two trays are used, only one rest 3 is used at the forward end of the first unit and one rest 3 is used at the rear -end of the rear unit. When ythe rear tray is removed, the tabs will usually be in a forward position and the plate I5 will be Vforced out to' support the tabs.

The carrier I4 enables the operator to easily reach the `various tabs in a system where a large amount of material is to be sorted, as is contemplated where a plurality of trays are provided.

In Figs. 9 and 10 a Ymodication of the single unit form of tray is shown. This is the pre-- ferred model for table use as contrasted to the others which are used on the slide carriers of my machines. It may be cheaply constructed, and may be used when there is little material to be sorted.

2| is a plate turned inward in U form at its edges to form track 22 corresponding to the tracks 2 2 of the form -of Fig. 1. This plate so formed has one fixed end I23 and a movable end 24 having guiding stems 24a. extending into Ythe U-shaped formed at the edges of the plate 2|. 2li-25 are tension springs acting to draw the end 24 inward.

I claim:

1. In a sorting device the combination of a.

slidable carrier and a plurality of trays placed in line, having adjacent ends abutting one another, removably secured upon and carried by said carrier, one of said trays having a work supporting plate supported at its inner end upon a resiliently mounted member, said plate and resiliently mounted member being so constructed and arranged as to slide outwardly to work supporting position upon removing the adjacent tray.

2. A sorting device including a carrier, lugs upon said carrier, two trays for holding separating tabs upon said carrier, each of said trays being adapted to engage one of said lugs and resilient means acting between said trays to force them against said lugs.

3. A sorting device including a carrier, lugs upon said carrier, two trays for holding separating tabs upon said carrier, each of said trays being adapted to engage one of said lugs in a variety of positions, and resilient means acting between said trays to force them against said lugs.

4. A sorting device including a carrier, an engagement lug on said carrier, a tray for containing separating tabs, said tray having a series of holes extending longitudinally thereof through any one of which said lug is adapted to engage to position said tray on said carrier.

5. A sorting device including a carrier, a pair of engaging lugs longitudinally spaced from each other on said carrier, two trays for holding separating tabs upon said carrier, each of said trays having a series of holes extending longitudinally thereof through which said lugs are adapted to engage to position said trays and resilient means being adapted to yieldingly urge said trays apart when engaged by said lugs.

6. A sorting device including a tray, a series of separating tabs in said tray, a retractable resilient means pressing said tabs together to hold them in operative position, said tabs being severally removable at right angles to the action of said pressing means when the same is retracted and filling blocks for adjusting the action of said pressing means, said resilient means including a slidable member adapted to form an extension of said tray when pulled outwardly and having a portion adapted to support said iilling blocks.

CHARLES C. CASEY. 

